UNIT 10: Connections Across Water

VIDEO SEGMENT: The Mississippians

Between 900 and 1500 CE, a rich, complex society arose in the Mississippi bottomlands of North America. This segment explores the Mississippians and how they used the waterways of the Arkansas, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee rivers to place themselves at the center of a vast trade network.

Modern archaeology has demonstrated that the Mississippians built vast earthen mounds, which itself demonstrates a complex, hierarchical society able to devote significant energies to art and artisans. The most recent of these mound sites, called Cahokia, included more than 100 mounds, covered six square miles, and supported a population of about 30,000 to 40,000 by the year 1200 CE.

Archaeological evidence taken from Cahokia demonstrates the existence of a wide array of trade goods, such as copper, obsidian, and mica. Moreover, these goods have been traced to very distant areas: from the Great Lakes region all the way to the Rocky Mountains.

Sixteenth century Spanish sources tend to corroborate the complex nature of Mississippian culture: They speak of a powerful, well-organized society that was able to muster huge fleets of river canoes to transport war parties along the mighty rivers surrounding them. Thus, it seems likely that the Mississippians emerged as a hub for a vast network of trade — at least in part because of their ability to command critical waterways.